Factors influencing risk acceptance of Cloud Computing services in the UK Government

Cloud Computing services are increasingly being made available by the UK Government through the Government digital marketplace to reduce costs and improve IT efficiency; however, little is known about factors influencing the decision making process to adopt cloud services within the UK Government. This research aims to develop a theoretical framework to understand risk perception and risk acceptance of cloud computing services. Study’s subjects (N=24) were recruited from three UK Government organizations to attend a semi structured interview. Transcribed texts were analyzed using the approach termed interpretive phenomenological analysis. Results showed that the most important factors influencing risk acceptance of cloud services are: perceived benefits and opportunities, organization’s risk culture and perceived risks. We focused on perceived risks and perceived security concerns. Based on these results, we suggest a number of implications for risk managers, policy makers and cloud service providers.